Refrigerator



Dec. 17, 1940.' H MERRLL 2,225,404

REFRIGERATOR Filed Jly 18, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f w l L J J3 Inventor.

Harv Merrll, l Fi .8. b

m i 'His Ati-,own y.

Patented Dec. 17, 1940 STATES REFRIGERAToR Harry L. Merrill, Nashua, H., assigner to Harder Refrigerator Corporation, Cobleskill, N. Y., a corporation of New York f Application July 18, 1938, Serial No. 219,689

Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in refrigerators and particularly to improvements in refrigerators of the general type disclosed in my Letters Patent Nos. 2,062,139, 2,062,140, 2,117,564,

' and 2,121,649.

Water, either in liquid or solid form, is a comparatively poor conductor of heat. It is probably for this reason that warm air flowing directly in contact with the surface of a refrigo erant, such as ice, does not lose its heat or become cool as rapidly as it does when flowing in contact with one side of a comparatively thin heat conductor, the other side of which is maintained in direct contact with the surface of the 151 ice. Where this heat transfer takes place through thin metal, and particularly met-al having a high coe'icient of heat conductivity; the rate of heat transfer is several times faster than the rate directly from air to ice.

While the refrigerators disclosed in the above mentioned patents are highly efficient, even when the ice has melted to such a degree as to permit that part of the warm air streams which otherwise would flow against the ends of the ice in the grid valleys to flow through the open ends of the valleys into the refrigerant compartment, I find that this eiciency can be appreciably increased, particularly with a small volume of ice in the refrigerant compartment, by designing the refrigerator in the manner hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevation view, partially in section, of my refrigerator; 35 Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view, partially in section and with parts broken away, of the grid or ice support;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section of Fig. 2 in the plane 3 3;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section of the refrigerator in the plane 4 4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section of plane 5 5;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the central grid' Fig. 1 in the element and one of the side elements in slightly' to provide passages AI3 and I4 for the upow 1o' of warm air, and is also provided with a central opening I5 for the downfiow of warm air. The sheet metal on the top and bottom of the partition is upturned aro-und edges of the central opening, as shown at I6, to form a curb for intercept- 15 ing water flowing downwardly on the partition toward the central opening and preventing it from dropping into the storage compartment. It is to be understood that the partition 5 is sloped slightly downwardly from the front to the back 20 of the refrigerator to convey water to the usual drain pipe Il, and it will also be noted that the partition slopes downwardly from each side toward the central opening, as shown in Fig. 3, to facilitate the circulation of air in the cabinet. 25 That is to say, warm air, rising in the storage compartment to the bottom of the partition 5, is deflected toward each of the side passages I3 and I4 and the cool air, like water, flows downwardly over the upper surf-ace of the partition toward 30:

and into the central opening I5. The grid or ice support preferably comprises three separate pieces, a central element I8 and similar side elements I9, all of which are preferably but not necessarily made of sheet aluminum'because of 35" its high heat conductivity and its practical immunity from the corrosive eiects ofwater.

The side elements I9 are formed with a plurality of V-shaped ridges and valleys therein for the purpose of increasing the area of cold metal o with which the air to be cooled iiows in contact as will be later pointed out. Very 4satisfactory results have been obtained by making the valleys about 11/2 in depth with the ridges about.21/ apart which provides a gridelement having more than one and one-half times the surface area of its projection on a horizontal plane. At the ends of the valleys, the metal forming the adjacent sides thereof is bent inwardly as shown at 20 to form closures for the ends of the valleys. By closing the valleys adjacent the warm air'passages I3 and Ill, the warm air is prevented from directly contacting the ends of the ice which rests upon the grid; it being understood that the ridges, due to their comparatively sharp crests, pene 55 trate rapidly into the bottom of the ice and that the ice between the ridges settles down into and substantially lls the valleys. By substantially closing the valleys at the ends adjacent the central cold air opening in the partition, the construction of the central element I8 is greatly simplified. Heretofore, the central element has been formed with depending portions at the sides having spaced openings therein for the passage of air but with solid metal portions in registration with and which serve to block the ends of the valleys. It has been found that, unless the valleys are substantially blocked at the ends adjacent the cold air opening I5, the` ice meltsv into formations, such as icicles, which project over the opening I5 and water drops therefrom into the storage compartment. The side elements I5 are supported on and in spaced relation, tothe parti` tion 5 by means of the metal straps 2l whichA are secured thereto. Preferably, the supporting straps 2I which are adjacent the cold air opening in the partition 5 form legs which maintain the adjacent ends of the elements I Il` at a somewhat higher elevation than the ends thereof adjacent the warm air passages I3 and I 4, as shown` in Fig. 3.

In the present type of refrigerator the central element I8y is simply a V-shaped trough of sheet metal, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6. Spaced straps 22 riveted or otherwise secured to the element I8 are provided with hook-like extremities 23 which engage theclosures 2U in the valley ends, as shown inFigs. 2, and 3, and thecentral element I8v is thus supported on or suspended from the` ends of the side elements I9V in freely raisable o r removable relation thereto. Moisture condenses on the bottom of the V-shaped central element` I8 and runs down the sides thereof. For the purpose of intercepting4 this moisture and preventing the water dropping into the storage compartment, a V-shaped gutter 25 is riveted or otherwise secured to the bottom Qf the vl-shaped element and in slightly spaced relation thereto.` This gutter slopes downwardly toward theback ofthe refrigf erator and the water accumulating therein is discharged at the end 30 over the opening` 3I in the partition which, communicates with the drain Il. Openings 26 are also provided inthe bottoms of the valleysin the elements I9 to permit water from the meltingice to drain directly there-` through on to the top of the partition 5. Prefei-, ably, but not necessarily, runners 21, are riveted or` otherwise secured to the side elementsA I9 to` provide skids alongwhich an-` iceV cake 28 maybe.

slidrin icing the refrigerator.

Secured to the interior sides of the cabinet, as.

shown in Fig. 3, are inwardly and downwardly inclined projecting lips 24 which extend to and slightly overlie the endsof the elements I9, and thus serve to cut off thev upflow of warmair through thepassages I3 and I4 and deect it into the air ductsformed between thel elements I9 and the partition 5, as shown by the arrows inA Fig. 3.

of the ice and` theice melts down into and substantially fllls the valleys inthe grid, as shown at 29 in Fig. 5. Warm air rises from the foodcompartment in two separate streams, one at each side of the interior of the cabinet. These air streams flow through theipassages I3',` and Mi and are then deflected toward each other through the air ducts formed between the elements IB and the partition 5 and toward the central cold air downilow passage I5. In addition to filling the valleys in the side elements I9, the ice also substantially lls the central V-shaped element I8 so that all of the metal of the grid which forms the top of the air ducts is maintained in close contact with the bottom of the ice. Thewarm air flowing in4 contact with this comparatively large area f cold, high-heat-conducting metal is rapidly chilled whereby its density is increased so that it flows downwardly into the storage compartment through the central opening I in the partition The downwardly inclined sides of the central' element I8 are maintained substantially at ice temperature and therefore also serve to of,` theice cake and practically to coni-lne the ice meltage to the bottom of the cake so that the ice, when melted down` into a thin layer, extends substantially,` across the entire width ofthe grid instead` of extending only a comparatively short distance either side of the central element as is the case where thevalleys inthe elements I9 are open at the ends.

Undernormal operating. conditions the air to be cooled does not enter the refrigeration chamber but transfers its heat to the-ice through the thinmetal of` the grid which, as pointedA out above, provides amore rapidA and eflicient` transferithan is the case wherel the airv is projected directly against the ice. Moreover, since the entire top surface of the grid is maintainedA substantially at all times in contact with the iceandtherefore at ice temperature, this feature also improves the efficiency of the refrigerator.

WhileI have-described my inventionin its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood" that' the Words which Ihave used are words of description rather than of limitation. Hence, changes within the purview of the appended claims may be made without departing from the true scope `and `spirit of my invention in its broader aspects.

What I claim is:

l. An ice refrigerator comprising, a; cabinet having a transverse partition therein subdividing the linterior ofA said cabinet into anlice compartment above and a storagecompartment below; said partition being spaced from the opposite sides of said cabinet to provide openings for the upow of warm air, and having a central opening therein for the downfiowQ of` colds air;

and an ice rack comprising two side elements- 65 lil tending between and spacing said side elements at the top thereof, and means for supporting said central element in freely removable relation to said side elements and to said partition.

2. In a refrigerator of the character described, an ice support comprising two side elements formed of thin sheet metal having a plurality of alternating ridges and valleys therein; portions of said metal being bent across said valleys at the ends thereof to form closures therefor; and a central element of thin metal disposed between said side elements, and supported upon the closures for said valleys.

3. In a refrigerator of the character described, an ice support comprising two side elements formed ofv thin sheet metal having a plurality of alternating ridges and valleys therein; portions of said metal being bent across said valleys at the ends thereof to form closures therefor; a central element of thin sheet metal formed with a comparatively deep trough therein, and means cooperating with the central element and the closures for said valleys for supporting the central element between the side elements.

4. In a refrigerator of the character described,

an ice support comprising two similar side ele-` ments formed with a plurality of alternating ridges and valleys therein, and a central element supported on said side elements and freely liftable therefrom, whereby it may be readily removed to facilitate cleaning; said central element being provided with a valley therein angularly disposed to the valleys in said side elements.

5. An ice refrigerator comprising a cabinet having a transverse partition therein subdividing the interior of said cabinet into an ice compartment above and a storage compartment below; said partition being spaced from the opposite sides of said cabinet to provide openings for the uplow of warm air, and having a central opening therein for the downflow of cold air; and an ice rack comprising two side elements formed of thin metal with a plurality of V- shaped valleys therein which are closed at each end, means for supporting said side elements in spaced, freely raisable relation to said partition to provide passages for the flow of air therebetween from said warm air openings to said central opening, and a central element of thin metal extending between said side elements and supported thereon in freely raisable relation thereto; whereby to provide an ice rack in which the central element may be readily removed from its supports and the side elements thereafter removed from their supports to facilitate cleaning.

HARRY L. MERRILL. 

